Spoiler alert: it totally works. And I’m never, ever going back to boiling my gnocchi again. Not only does roasting the gnocchi turn out better than the boiled version, it also makes dinner much easier because you can throw some vegetables or plant-based sausage on a sheet pan with the gnocchi and you’ve got a super simple dinner with minimal cleanup.

To take advantage of the best of summer produce, I paired the gnocchi with tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, and fresh basil leaves–basically, all the vegetables that go into ratatouille but roasted in the oven instead of simmered on the stovetop. The tomatoes collapse in the oven and the vegetables caramelize, making them perfect for tossing with the gnocchi once everything’s finished roasting–no sauce needed!

When it’s not summertime, this recipe is easy to adapt to whatever is in season. An assortment of wild mushrooms and sliced shallots would be delish, as would Brussels sprouts and diced butternut squash. Broccoli with smashed garlic cloves and red pepper flakes will work anytime of year, or bulk things up by stirring in some cannellini beans in the last few minutes of cooking time.